Method of sea-sounding.



PATENTBD DEC. 4,

A. F. BBLLS. METHOD 0F SBA SOUNDING.

APPLIOATIOF FILED HAB. 20. 1908.

nu mum: Plrln co., lnxnma-mn. D. c.

l i l l l UNITED STATES PATENT f oEEIoE. y

ALBERT F. EELLS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF SEA-SOUNDING- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. EELLs, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Bos:`4

"of sound throug Water differ materie ton, in the county of Suffolk andState of` Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Methods of Sea- Sounding, which improvement is fullydescribed inthe following specification, reference being had to theaccompanying sheet of drawings. t

This invention has for its object the roduction of aisimple andeifective metho of automatically-g. determining and indicatingsea-soundmgsf'without the use of line, wire, or other tangible means ofconnecting a ship with the bottom of the sea.

Briefly described, my present invention consists in determining thedistance between a ships keel and -the bottom of the sea either byutilizing the echo from a sound made on shipboard or by the return of animpulse due to the disturbance of the water at or near the surface ofsaid water.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, chiefly inoutline, indicating a portion of a ship having applied thereto anillustrative form of apparatus which may be used with my presentinvention; and Fig. 2 is a relatively enlarged sectional view of a tubeextending, as here shown, from the main deck of the vessel to the bottomthereof, in which tube is located one element of said apparatus-to wit,a combined sounder and rei 'verberaton Referring to the drawings, theletter a indicates the bow portion of a vessel, and a the pilot-house.Extending from the main deck downward through the shi to the bottom ofsaid' ship is a tube or well in the lower end of which is centrallylocated a bell c, said bell being so supported that it is free tovibrate and being, as here shown, attached to and supported by ametallic bar c', that extends upward somewhat above the top of the wellb, so that the free end of said bar may be struck a sharp blow, eitherby hand or by some automatic mechanical means, (not shown,) in order tocause the connected bell or other` form of reverberator to give forth asound below the surface of the water` This sound travels to the bottomof the sea and is l Aechoed back and is then indicated by suitable meanson shipboard or, if plreferred, is received by telephonic means, t edepth of water under the vessel being determined by Specification ofLetters Patent. lApplication filed March 20, 1906. Serial No. 807.332.

Patented Dee. 4,

the time which elapses between the strik of the bell and the return ofthe echo.

The conditions overning the transmiss from those overning thetransmission sound throng the free atmosphere, it be a well-known factthat while an echo may noted by the ordina ear at a distance small asone hundred eet in free atmosph an echo cannot be caught by the ordm:ear at a distance less than four hundred i under water. This being true,it will be vious that an echo could not be relied u] for the purpose ofmeasuring depths than four hundred `feet unless some spe' provision bemade, and this I have rovin 1n the form of what may be regarde as asistance-coil d, consisting, preferably, o wire openly coiled, so thatit is free to tra mit the vibrations of the bell resulting fr thereverberation or echo or other impu as the case may be.

The articular means for indicating the turn o the sound or impulse isnot mater It may be in the form of an indicator e, cated within view ofthe pilot7 or it 'n be in the form of a sensitive telephone ceiver.Neither is it material that the 1 shall be located inboard, 'as it wouldequally elective if hung over the side of vessel with its lower endsubmerged.

By the use of my described apparatusz particularly if it includes meansfor strik the resonator or .exerting an impulse at quent intervals oftime, the depth of w: under the" vessel isfconstantly being m known tothe pilot,`v so that the groundin,` vessels and the serious accidentsand los life and property now constantly occur] could readily beavoided.A l

Having thus described my inventioi claim as new and wish to secure byLet Patent- V 1. In the art of deep-sea sounding,

.method of determining the depth of the

